Gervase Helwys
| Sir Gervase Helwys | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Gervase Helwys 1 September 1561 Saundby, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 20 November 1615 Tower Hill, Westminster |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Resting place | The Tower of London, Westminster |
| Residence | Tower of London |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Gervase Helwysse Jervis Yelwys |
| Education | Middle Temple |
| Alma mater | New Inn |
| Occupation | Lieutenant of the Tower of London |
| Employer | Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton |
| Known for | Complicity in murder of Sir Thomas Overbury |
| Title | Sir |
| Opponent(s) |
Sir Edward Coke Sir Francis Bacon |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Brooke |
| Children | William Thomas Nathaniel Gervase John Elizabeth Bridget Maria Jane Anna Francesca |
| Parent(s) | John Helwys Mary Blagden |
| Relatives | Thomas Helwys |
Sir Gervase Helwys (1 September 1561 – 20 November 1615), also known as Jervis Yelwys, was a Lieutenant of the Tower of London found guilty of complicity in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury and hanged in 1615. The scandal provoked much public and literary conjecture and irreparably tarnished King James I's court with an image of corruption and depravity. There are variations in the spelling of Helwys: Helwis, Helwiss, Helewyse, Helwysse, Yelwys, Ellowis, Elwys, Elwis, Elvis, Elwes, and Elwaies.
Gervase Helwys was born on 1 September 1561 in Saundby, Nottinghamshire, the first child of parents John Helwys (1535-1600) and Mary Blagden of Thames Ditton. His cousin, Thomas Helwys (1575-1616), one of the joint founders, with John Smyth, of the Baptist denomination, was thrown into Newgate Prison by the king for libel, where he died in 1616. As a student Helwys studied law at Middle Temple after completing his studies at New Inn, at the University of Oxford. His uncle, Geoffrey Helwys, a successful merchant, and Alderman and Sheriff of London, was also a member of the Inn. Soon after, he married Mary Brooke, daughter of Thomas Brooke of Norfolk.
On 7 May 1603, Helwys was knighted by King James I. A decade later, on 6 May 1613, he was appointed by the same king as Lieutenant of the Tower of London after being recommended to the post by Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton. As was common practice at the time, Helwys had to pay for the title, in this instance £2,000; £1,400 going to Northampton and £300 to Sir Thomas Monson, Master of the Armory in the Tower and a friend of Helwys'. Whilst there, Helwys had been involved on 10 March 1614 in the “examination” of prisoner Edmond Peacham, a rector of Hinton St. George who had been charged with having written a libel against the king, at the request of the king's Attorney general, Sir Francis Bacon.
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